There once was a Crooked Man
by Rice Buny
Summary: Lelouch's life is crooked. His relationships were crooked. His status was crooked. His sanity is crooked. The Crooked Man watches over him, waiting for Lelouch to pull the trigger of a gun with the barrel against his temple. Everyone around him starts to wonder, whether or not, he's too far gone to save. There once was a Crooked Man who walked a crooked mile (M just to be safe.)
1. There once was a crooked man

I do not own Code Geass or any of The Crooked Man's characters.

So. Yeah. I can't believe I'm actually typing a fanfiction. Probably to procrastinate on my math homework.

* * *

All pleads of apology and various forgiving speeches fade away into the background of Lelouch's life. The only voice that matters is from the only man who understands him. The words that bitterly spit out at him out of the fanged, wide smile that stretches across the deformed face of the man who lurks behind him. Lelouch doesn't even remember when the man first entered his life. All he knows is that slowly, the man is dragging him down to his level. He won't leave Lelouch alone. However, he's the only one who understands the guilt stirring in his stomach. And this man, Lelouch is well aware that he wants to kill him.

"Lelouch, we all forgive you," Kallen sighs as Lelouch doesn't respond, rather, he stiffly sits upright on his bed, his spine rigid. His eyes wildly dart around the room. They clap with the tar colored eyes of the man who crouches in the corner of the room. He's pretty sure that nobody can see him. After all, after the first time he met him, which was just yesterday in fact, the man already lunged towards him, his gnarled, knotted hands reaching out for him. He couldn't leave, as darkness engulfs him. Hours later, Suzaku approaches him, stating that they found Lelouch curled in a fetal position, his back to the wall, screaming hysterically. "Lelouch!" Lelouch ignores the demanding shout from Kallen. Kallen scowls beside him. However, he continues to watch her out of his peripheral vision, his main focus fixated on his personal shadow that stares back at him. He shouldn't be alive. But Lelouch is able to come in contact with him. But the man…his face is literally sitting on his shoulder. His neck is snapped to the left, stretching across, and his face upside down in that matter because of his broken neck. And it's absolutely terrifying. The splotches that blemish the otherwise ashen face of the man represent his old age. He inhales sharply as the man's bony, knobbly hands reach upwards. Then, his hackles flatten down as he realizes he's just waving. Probably to mock him and his sanity. Is he even real? Lelouch winces, recalling the bruise that blossomed near his ribs when the man kicked him. Yeah, no, he's definitely real.

"Hey, Kallen?" Lelouch doesn't see Suzaku enter his room, but his voice definitely belongs to him, and footsteps echo in his empty, plain room as Suzaku enters. Lelouch keeps his back to him. "Oh," the footsteps stop. "Hey, Lelouch, Nunnally really wants you to join tonight's dinner." The secret got out. Lelouch sacrificed his name, his reputation, his friends and his life to save Japan, by first destroying them. Nunnally just couldn't keep her mouth shut. Lelouch didn't expect millions of people to accept Nunnally's word. And they didn't. Rather, they accepted the word of Suzaku, who eventually revealed himself as Zero. Just two people, two people that Lelouch trusted, were able to shatter his whole plan along with the effort he put into it. Then, there was C.C who also had to reveal his secret. Probably not to try and save his charred reputation, but rather, probably to taunt him on how his complicated plan flunked. Not everyone likes him. However, 'not everyone' isn't enough. He'd prefer for everyone to hate him. However, his royal family actually took him back in after digging him out of the grave. The moment he exited the grave, the man entered his life. He won't leave Lelouch alone. It's only been two days, and already, the man is spreading hell over his life. He contorted Lelouch's life into a horror story, leaving Lelouch paranoid after his first attack. "Are you coming?" Lelouch shrugs in response. He personally doesn't want to go, he avoided yesterday thankfully, however, if the man follows him into the dining room…

"Lelouch, please?" Lelouch resists the temptation to feel Kallen's grip on his wrist. He doesn't want to go. He emits a visible sigh, and nods. "Thanks," He rolls his amethyst eyes, and rounds to Kallen, prepared to scowl at her, but the smile that adores his face, causes him to hesitate, before quickly twisting his scowl into his signature smirk. Kallen blinks, and obviously pleased with his answer, skirts out of the room hastily, probably to rejoin Nunnally and whoever else in the dining room.

"Are you really going to go outside like that?" Lelouch blinks slowly, and his glassy eyes slowly travel up to Suzaku, who stands firmly at the foot of his bed. "You've been stuck in a coffin for three months, and yet you haven't bothered to change." Suzaku comments dryly. "Nice," he continues in his flat, sarcasm infused tone. Lelouch shrugs. "Get up," Suzaku thrusts out his hand. However, rather than taking his chivalry offer, Lelouch heaves himself off the edge of his bed himself, and his eyes narrow into a glare at the mirror behind Suzaku, showing the reflection of half of his room. There's no man sitting in the corner of his room with his head bent in an angle that obviously results death. However, as he peers behind his shoulder, his pupils dilate as he notices how the man now towers behind to the unsuspecting Suzaku, who stares at him with an odd expression. The man's bent head with his crooked grin causes Lelouch's knees to lock up.

"Is something wrong?" Suzaku's voice sounds cautious, as though waiting for Lelouch to blow a gasket and punch the mirror or something like that. Suzaku's husky voice causes Lelouch to retract his attention shot at the monster, and his violet eyes flicker to Suzaku, who cocks his head in confusion.

"Oh, uh, nothing," Lelouch stammers. "Just…thinking," Lelouch explains smoothly. "I'll change quickly, I'll join you guys shortly," Lelouch plasters on a fake smile. Suzaku nods, however, he doesn't return Lelouch's fake, practiced smile. Lelouch watches as Suzaku leaves the room, his footsteps fading into a distant patter after he exits the room and probably down the hall. Lelouch shuts the door, and cranes his head over, searching for the demented man. He's not in the room. He inhales sharply, expecting the worse. Nothing, okay, he's fine. He releases the breath he wasn't aware he was holding. However, as he turns left towards his closet, he slams into a hard object, and he staggers back. The man's hollow, gouged out eyes stare at him, and Lelouch swallows a scream, and he turns around, jiggling the doorknob, ready to escape the room. An iron grip clamps onto his shoulder, and another smacks across his mouth, the knobby fingers digging into the side of his cheek. He screams, though the hand muffle s them. His legs flail underneath him, his heart chopping against his chest. He squirms, thrashing in the grip of the deformed man. Lelouch tries to shout for help, when suddenly, the cold hand is removed from his shoulder. Lelouch doesn't hesitate, he whips around, and snaps his elbow upwards, and it connects with the jaw of the man. Lelouch planned for the man to release him from that blow, but rather, the hand now snaps around one side of his head, and suddenly, the entity that covers his mouth also leaves, only to grip the side of his head. Now that he's able to breathe out of his mouth, he releases raspy, quick paced breaths. Why is the man just holding onto both sides of his head?

"What do you want?" Lelouch wheezes, cringing on how meek his voice sounds. The man doesn't answer. Rather, Lelouch feels his head throb, as the clutch on his head tightens. A groan escapes out of Lelouch's lips. Then, sharp jerk to the left causes Lelouch to yelp out in pain. The man is yanking his head to the left. A frightening thought enters his head. Is he trying to snap his neck? Is he trying to turn Lelouch into him? Lelouch's slender fingers dig into the contrasting, gnarly hands that resemble claws that are trying to snap his neck. His head is pulsing, throbbing, giving him a migraine. "Let go!" Lelouch shouts and he tries to rip the hands off of him. Suddenly, to his surprise, the hands retract, recoiling from his head, and Lelouch's knees lock, and he collapses onto them, clutching his head. The door slams open, outwards, thankfully, or else it would've smacked Lelouch. Lelouch doesn't turn to whoever yanked the door open, rather, his vision is blurring, and to his horror, he realizes his vision is fogging from tears that have been watering his eyes from the previous events.

* * *

Ohgi has to admit, he still has disgruntled feelings for this boy but then again, he pities him. It might've been out of arrogance, but Lelouch already piled all the burden that Japan's been mourning over for years, onto his shoulders, and willingly watch his whole life and status at such a young age, combust, bursting into flames, having the blaze and smoke surround him, engulfing him into his own pit of hell that he can never recover from. So the moment when he passed by the hallway and he heard a yelp, he hesitates, and stands in front of the door, where behind it, in the room shouts are emitted from. They obviously belong to Lelouch. And to Ohgi's shame, he actually has a stir of reluctant feelings inside of him, and so he doesn't open the door immediately. He doesn't hate Lelouch, but however, no matter how stupid, the feeling of betrayal of Lelouch never sharing his plans with them, causes him to stop. However, as another indistinguishable shout reaches his ears, his quickly swings open the door.

That's how Ohgi found the Demon King on his knees, staring at his ivory carpet with watery eyes, sheen from tears that slowly streak down his ashen, sallow cheeks. "Lelouch, what's wrong?" Ohgi has to admit, he's feeling quite awkward. Lelouch doesn't acknowledge him, and slowly, Ohgi crouches down to face the younger male, and from this distance, Ohgi's able to hear the wheezes and raspy hiccups and dry sobs that he releases. "Lelouch, I thought I heard you say 'let me go', who got you?" Ohgi asks, continuing into his gentle tone, as though Lelouch is a scared bolt that might run. Then again, when was Lelouch the type to run willingly?

"There was a man," Lelouch admits, his voice throaty from the tears that he probably lumped up in his throat. "A man," Lelouch echoes the end of his sentence. Ohgi is completely lost at this.

"Lelouch, I was walking down this hallway when you were screaming, there's no man in this room, and if he left out the door, I would've saw him. Did he escape from the window?" Ohgi interrogates Lelouch for answers. Lelouch shakes his head. Ohgi lifts his head up, the windows are locked tightly. "Lelouch, there wasn't a man," Ohgi's now not questioning Lelouch for answers; rather, he's questioning Lelouch's sanity. Worry starts to seep into Ohgi's consciousness when Lelouch's glassy eyes, swollen and tinged pink, turn to him.

"So you think I'm crazy too, right?"

"What?" Ohgi stutters on that one word, and he inwardly sarcastically congratulates himself. Lelouch on the other hand, doesn't acknowledge his bluster. "You're not crazy," Ohgi reassures, however, he reconsiders his supposedly reassuring answer that he directed at Lelouch, and it's credibility. "I'm pretty sure you just imagined it," You don't normally imagine people in your room. However, this boy has been stuck in a coffin and six-feet underground in a cemetery for three months. Cornelia already suggested that Lelouch's mental state might be damaged.

"The man is right there." Lelouch whispers, and jerks his thumb over his shoulder pointing accusingly behind him. Ohgi's aware that Lelouch is observing his reaction. Ohgi's passive face twists into a grimace, and he turns to Lelouch, slightly thrown off.

"Lelouch…that's your closet."

* * *

Yeah, so that's my first story. Thanks for reading. If you decide to flame me, I don't care. If you decide to compliment me, I don't care, but thank you. If you don't do anything at all, I still don't care. But still, thanks for reading. -MEEP [This part is so short. It disappoints me, but I'm too lazy to type more right now.] :3


	2. who walked a crooked mile

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass and any of their characters or The Crooked Man.

I'm back. I decided to continue procrastinating. So this one is kind of dark. Just kind of. So I'm wondering whether or not to kill Lelouch off of keep him alive. I dunno, I really want to see what I can make of it if I kill Lelouch, but I feel like that I'd feel guilty for putting him through so much, and then get over it while eating ice cream. Sadly, I do not have ice cream right now. You guys can decide, or ignore this. I'd probably choose the latter, as I'm too lazy to answer any questions.

I apparently also forgot that it's 'Britannia' not 'Britanna'. I don't know, I guess I thought about Britain and their accents and I...yeah no I'll stop.

* * *

"He's not insane!"

"He's crazy!" Nunnally feel heated tears sting at her eyes. She grinds her teeth, her lilac retinas dilating as they glower at Schneizel. "Nunnally, admit it, he's been stuck for three months in a coffin," Schneizel's porcelain face remains passive, but Nunnally notices how his chest is heaving from bottled up anger and frustration. "Nunnally, he's losing it! Ohgi said that he keeps on talking about a man, a man in his room. He mistook a closet for a man!" Schneizel exclaims, yet his timbre is still in its soothing tone. At that observation, Nunnally scoffs, bristling. Her brother is too proud to even have his voice actually sound worried for their poor brother, who surrendered everything to help his people. At that thought, Nunnally juts out her jaw to show her stubbornness and anger.

"So, we'll just get a therapist, he'll get over it!" Nunnally and Cornelia themselves actually went to dig up the grave that Nunnally and Sayoko created for their dear brother, after C.C. 'accidently' let it slip that Lelouch possibly could be immortal. After having Cornelia dig up mounds of dirt that soiled her clothing, she's not just going to let go of the award they achieved from her older sister's hard work. "He'll be fine, trust me, Lelouch will be alright!" Nunnally's words are clipped from anger. (Does anyone else notice how 'clipped' in that sentence looks like dipped? or is it just me and I'm blind?)

"I heard screaming," Cornelia steps in, and Nunnally waits for Cornelia to enter her field of vision, as the back of her wheelchair is facing the door that she entered through. "Bickering again, aren't we?" Her sister sighs, her heels click against the floor, and then the steady beat is muffled from the rug that she walks onto. "I can hear you shouting from the conference room, I had to excuse myself, how embarrassing," Cornelia clucks her tongue. Her magenta hued hair was actually groomed into a ponytail. For Cornelia to once actually change her looks must've been to please a very important person. "What are you arguing about?" And without warning, Cornelia cracks the back of her gloved hand with her knuckles across Schneizel, who easily bats away her hand.

"He wants to send Lulu to an insane asylum!" Nunnally hisses, and at those words, tears slowly bead up onto her lashes, until they finally drop and skid down her cheeks, streaking across her jawline. Cornelia glowers at their older brother, her vibrant eyes glaring accusingly with a pointed manner at Schneizel, who remains in a nonchalant pose, unfazed by Cornelia's sharp look. "He says that Lelouch is crazy! That he's a danger to everyone! I think that he just doesn't want Lelouch here." Nunnally blinks away the wave of tears that followed her sentence. She has to wink rapidly to force back the stinging hot tears.

"Dear sister, you used to be so full of hatred for Zero and Lelouch. Do you not remember what he's done to you? What about Gilbert?" Schneizel jeers and Nunnally's back arches at that name, sensing danger from Cornelia. Nunnally actually likes Gilbert; he's quite loyal to Cornelia, even though she's technically not a princess. He's nice, yet he has a limp so he's slightly slow. Cornelia's spine visibly stiffens her pose straighter. "I know that Lelouch meant to help us, even though we have our dear sister and Suzaku's word," Nunnally's knuckles flush blood red as she clenches even tighter onto the arms of her wheelchair. He just addresses her as though she's cannot comprehend his words and find them unfathomable like a retard. Schneizel's usually not like this. He's usually nice. However, he's acting like an asshole right now, and Nunnally, though she's against violence and is pacifist, she would love to run her brother over with her wheelchair if possible.

"We're not sending him to an asylum," Cornelia's voice dropped an octave lower, signaling her irritation and how if the other person was wise, they'd shut up. And Schneizel is intelligent, but he continues to smirk, his lips curling around every disagreeing word.

"He's crazy, and besides, most of the public would feel better knowing that the Demon King is behind bars." Schneizel points out.

"He's not a demon! Demon only sins for his benefit, Lelouch, not once, thought about doing this for his sake!" Nunnally retorts in a scorning tone. "Yes, I admit that he could've thought better of his plan, but still, he put so much effort into this and he succeeded in bringing Britanna to their knees," Nunnally's eyes flicker to Cornelia. "No offense."

"None taken, but if you continue to shout loudly, I will, thinking that you do not think kindly of me or respect my words." Cornelia hisses. "We'll talk about this later," Cornelia ends the argument with that one sentence, and she leaves the room, her heels clacking against the polished floorboards after stepping off the lush carpet. Schneizel throws one last smirk at Nunnally, before leaving the room, leaving Nunnally, sitting limply in her wheelchair, along with her silent tears.

* * *

"See, no man can get in," Kallen turns to Lelouch. She's slightly impressed and pleased of her handiwork. She bolted the window shut with the tools she received from Jeremiah, who actually insisted to help, but Kallen eventually shooed him away. Kallen even wired an alarm system in his room. She feels that she did surprisingly good with some tools and a bunch of duck-tape. She never knew how helpful the clear tape could be, she is definitely going to use it on everything. The only thing that it can't fix is probably the last three years of her life.

"Thank you, Kallen," and Kallen, though she knows how silly it is, beams at those simple words. It reminds her of receiving orders from Zero. It's true she did fell in love with Zero after growing to admire him, even though she shows disdain at Lelouch Lamperouge, the lazy Britanna who doesn't care about studies when he should be grateful for being able to attend school for being a Britanna. Now, she grew to admire both, especially after learning what Lelouch did. "But you can't lock him out." The temporary pride that lifted Kallen's spirits dissipates. She slowly sets down the thick roll of ducktape on his dresser next to the lamp with the dusty shade.

"What?" Kallen scoffs, clenching the handle of her pliers. "Lelouch, come on, what more do you want?" Kallen sighs. "How can he even come in?" Kallen is well cognizant of how Lelouch's man is probably part of his imagination, as Schneizel said during a meeting that involved them, but Cornelia recommended doing this, suggesting that it might make Lelouch feel safer. At least, Kallen and her group of Dark Night comrades sleep in the polished basement thanks to Nunnally. But, she's stuck with Tamaki, who insists on chugging down two bottles of wine every other day. At least if Lelouch screams, she'd hear him. Hopefully, it depends if he screams louder than the music that Tamaki cranks up on the two amplifiers wired in the basement. She swears that one day she'll shove Tamaki into a blender and serve him as a smoothie. After all, the sound of Tamaki screaming while having his body mutilated and turned into mush is probably what his music sounds like anyways.

"He's already in here." Lelouch whispers. Kallen inhales heavily. "You can't see him."

"Is he wearing some sort of invisible suit or something?" Kallen can't help but snap at him. She just wants the old Lelouch back. The one that she can shouts and chastise him, and he'd respond with a smirk or smartass comment. Lelouch shakes his head furiously. "Lelouch snap out of it, he's not real!" Kallen's voice cracks as she yells that proclamation at him. Then guilt stabs her in the heart from her words. Another stake of guilt and horror to her wilting heart as Lelouch stares at her with those dead, glassy eyes. They lost the twinkle. He used to look at her with those dark orchid eyes with a sinister gleam, and now, the gleam died out. They're two, dull orbs with purple retinas gaze at her now. Kallen's quite conscious of the onus that stirs in her gut; after all, they betrayed Lelouch when he needed the Black Knights the most.

"I didn't mean it." Kallen blurts out. But she did. And that's why it felt even worse when those words left her mouth. Lelouch's distant look that crosses his features didn't change. "I'm sorry." Kallen whispers, her voice quivering.

"No, you did. You did mean it." Kallen wilts under the accusation. "It's fine. I would probably think I'm crazy too." A wry smile crosses his features. It's the smile of a madman. Kallen sits down next to Lelouch on the bed. She studies him. He was skinny before. Now he's probably all bones, no flesh. His features are gaunt and his skin sallow and ashen, with his eyes sunken deep into their sockets. Splotches the color of bruises blossomed underneath his dull, eyes. "But I also know you're sorry." Lelouch adds. Even his voice changed from the voice of a commander to a defeated man. There's a thin line between the both, and he crossed it. He's a broken, defeated man. And she's pretty sure duck-tape won't fix this situation.

"He's watching us," Lelouch mumbles rapidly, along with other words that Kallen cannot distinguish. He continues to murmur unintelligibly, and Kallen wonders if knocking him in the head with her pliers will help. Kallen sighs. She faces away from Lelouch for a moment, trying to digest what happened over the past three days. She pinches the bridge of her nose, and she rounds to Lelouch, her lips parted as she struggles to find words to tell him. Then, she pauses, her eyes wide, her already separated lips ready to form words open even bigger, as her jaw unhinges. Standing behind Lelouch, is a man. He leers at her with the giant, wide smile attached to graying, mutilated skin of a man. His ebony eyes, the same color and shine as tar, fixating on her. All words that she's about to blurt out to Lelouch jumbles into a startling scream, and even Lelouch recoils, his eyes wide and pupils small from shock, and Kallen nearly slips off the bed. The man's head is jerked sideways, the neck crooked and bent over. His gnarled, knotted fingers are digging into Lelouch's shoulders. Her heart pulses, basically throwing itself against her chest. She grips the rubber handle of her pliers, and holds it in front of her, ready to jam it into him if he comes any closer.

"Holy-" She blinks. The man isn't there. It's just Lelouch, staring at her, with frightened eyes, and those amethyst orbs travel from the pliers aimed in his direction and Kallen, who's at the edge of the bed, ready to tumble off of it.

"Is something wrong?" Lelouch questions. Kallen mutely shakes her head for a response.

* * *

"I'm pretty sure Nunnally will let us in," Milly chirrups. Rivalz stares at Milly skeptically. The wrapped gift that Rivalz has clenched in his grip is yanked out of his grasp.

"You're tearing the wrapping paper," Nina accuses at Rivalz, who stares blankly at her. She points at the lacerations and tears on the wrapping paper. Rivalz chuckles awkwardly. It's just that he's nervous about this. After all, what if Nunnally and Suzaku were lying? Then again, Suzaku was told to be dead, and he's Zero, and now he's saying all these things about Lelouch, and Rivalz cannot comprehend these things and digest them fast enough.

"Guys, he'll be pleased," Milly fluffs her ashen blonde hair. Rivalz sighs as he stares at his former crush. To think, that she was going to married within a year or two. Nina knots her lips in displeasure. She still has a thing against Lelouch. It's been told that the Euphemia incident was an accident, but still, it's harsh. "We can even see Suzaku," Milly warbles in an animated tone. "It'll be fun, he'll be so happy at what's inside the box," Milly purrs devilishly. Rivalz is actually quite glad on the contrary, to not touch the box. Hey, the entity inside has been cooped up in there for possibly ten minute already. The moment they open the box, he'll probably try and kill them. The soldiers standing at the entrance nod at them. Jeremiah Gottwald even flicks his hand as a greeting. They let them in without complication. "See, not a problem," Milly smiles brightly at them, and Rivalz wishes that she'd direct that smile precisely at him. Her moonstone eyes tinged with blue darts around them, glimmering with excitement. She clearly didn't mature. She tugs down the edge of her pencil skirt, and she clasps her hands together. She pats her bun with ringlets falling out of it. Nina doesn't seem particularly impressed of the inside of the mansion, but Rivalz is. He gasps, running across the tiled floor, polished hard enough that Rivalz can see his reflection.

"This is awesome!" Rivalz chortles. "So, where's Lelouch's place?" Rivalz can feel his words come out bitter and clipped at that name, and he feels slightly ashamed at his sudden burst of anger for Lelouch. Milly noticed as well, and Rivalz flinches as she shoots a warning glare in his direction.

"Who are you?" Rivalz scampers a couple steps back, startled by the sudden voice and appearance of a female guard who stares back at him, her eyes wide with suspicion. "Oh, we're some of Lelouch's friends." Rivalz gulps, his voice feeble, and he chuckles awkwardly.

"I'm Milly Ashford," Milly introduces herself, and Rivalz inwardly lets out a sigh of relief for Milly to step in. She's more social and confident in this area.

"A reporter?" the guard scoffs. "You can escort yourselves out."

"No, I used to be Lelouch's classmate," Milly doesn't stutter from the guard's previous retort. "We're here to see Lelouch; may you tell us where he stays? You can even ask Nunnally, she's our good friend," Milly firmly claims. The guard stays silent for moments. "We even have Nina Einstein with us right now; she works for Lloyd Asplund, who is currently my fiancé," Milly says. Rivalz, to his horror, actually emits a sound between a strangled shrieking cat and a pigeon caught in a blender at the word 'fiancé'. The two females turn to him, odd expressions crossing their faces, and Rivalz flushes, and he feels the heat rising up on his cheeks. "Will you please show us the way to Lelouch vi Britanna's room?"

"Of course," the guard's posture remains rigid, obviously still miffed from their previous argument, as she's still not impressed by Milly's introduction. She leads them down a corridor, and she stops at a door.

"Thank you," Milly responds in a firm, polite tone and the guard nods stiffly, before stomping off. The moment she reaches the corner of the hallway, Milly snickers, and she leans towards Rivalz. "She's such a rude asshole." Milly mutters. Rivalz sniggers.

"Don't gossip like that," Nina shakes her head in disapproval. Nina readjusts her oval-framed wire glasses. Nina must've left her workplace to come join them, Rivalz muses, observing her white lab coat, unbuttoned, to reveal a tight, red jacket underneath. Her hair is also professionally styled, unlike the two braids she'd always wear before. Nina holds up her clenched fist to rap her knuckles on the door, but Milly just bustles in.

"HI LE-" For some reason, Milly's greeting is cut off abruptly, and Rivalz shoves himself in, as Milly is taking up most of the doorway. Nina reappears beside her after slipping underneath Milly's outstretched arm. Lelouch is staring at a shattered mirror in front of him, fragments of the broken object scattered around the lush carpet. Lelouch doesn't even acknowledge them Rivalz slowly takes towards Lelouch.

"Hi Lelouch, why'd you kill the poor mirror?" Rivalz has to admit, he can't believe that Lelouch in front of him, was his friend, and basically nearly one-handedly dominated the world. Lelouch slowly opens his clenched fists, to reveal various shards of the glass mirror in his hand and they cut and slit into his palm. "Lelouch what are you doing?" Rivalz snatches the glass shard out of his hand.

"Lelouch, I always thought you were an organized fellow," Milly awkwardly tries to lift the spirits as Rivalz did earlier.

"Lelouch," Nina puckers her lips. Seriously, whenever she says his name, a sour look crosses her features. "Nice to see you again," Nina claims formally. Lelouch doesn't answer. Rivalz stares at his former friend. He looks…almost dead. Granted, he's been stuck underground for three months, dying repeatedly over and over again.

"Why couldn't I just die?" Lelouch whispers. Milly's strained smile curls into a frown, and Rivalz recoils at Lelouch's words. "I knew I did horrible things, I know that I don't deserve to die…but when I was in the coffin that was the one thing I was looking forward to it. And yet I can't even have that?" Now tears are forming in Lelouch's eyes. Even Nina looks troubled. Right now, Rivalz is way out of his comfort zone. Usually, Lelouch is the one to sooth him in his usual sadistic way, right now, Rivalz is lost. "I can't even live peacefully anymore!" Lelouch whispers.

"Lelouch," the bed creaks underneath Milly's weight as she sits down next to Lelouch. Nina approaches, and hands the box towards Lelouch. Lelouch couldn't seem more disinterested in it. Rivalz slowly lowers himself onto the bed with the rumpled bedsheets pushed to the side, on the other side of Lelouch. Rivalz slowly plucks out a fragment of glass out of Lelouch's palm.

"Why are you helping me? If I don't deserve death, then I definitely don't deserve help," Lelouch says.

"Because we're friends," Rivalz answers simply. Milly nods while leaning over, stretching her head, over from the other side of Lelouch. She mouths something, and creates motions with her hand, gesturing for him to continue. "And besides, if it wasn't for you, I would've failed my math homework many times!" Rivalz says. Lelouch doesn't smile in return as Rivalz hoped. "Besides, you should take it as a good thing that you're alive, you can still change the world as you did before." Rivalz suggest.

"I don't want to live with him though."

"Who's him?" Rivalz asks curiously. Lelouch doesn't answer. His eyes are obscured by his long lashes as he looks at his lap. "Doesn't matter," Rivalz says. "Look, we got you something!" Rivalz exclaims. Lelouch's eyes stare at the rather large box with the ruined wrapping paper in his lap.

"Lelouch, you really should eat something!" A voice says from outside the door. "Nunnally's even here to make sure you eat something!" Rivalz recognizes that voice. Milly scrambles off the bed, leaving the bed groaning as she rushes to the door, and opens it outwards and it hits something, probably denting the poor wooden door. Rivalz rushes to the door. The door, when swung outward, hit something. It had hit the wheel of a wheelchair. Nunnally stares up at Rivalz, a smile that transforms her shocked face into a glowing one. And then, there's the one they thought who had died. Suzaku's gaze remains on the both of them, his jaw unhinged. Milly whoops. "Suzaku, pull the wheelchair back!" Milly pouts. Suzaku, startled out of his daze, pulls back the device, even though it probably doesn't need someone to push it, and Milly finally opens the door fully, big enough for Nunnally's wheelchair to roll in. Sitting on Nunnally's lap is a tray full of food. Suzaku rolls the chair in.

"Ignore that," Milly clears her throat as the sound of crunching glass, causes Rivalz to clap his hands over his ears. Suzaku flinches as the thick, rubber tires of Nunnally's wheelchair grinds the glass fragments from the mirror underneath. "Rivalz broke the mirror," Milly explains. Nunnally turns to Rivalz, who reacts a second too late, but he nods eagerly, pasting a sheepish smile on his face. The moment Nunnally turns away, Rivalz glowers at Milly, and shouts silently at her. Milly shrugs adorably in response, and Rivalz whips back to face Nunnally, disgruntled with his arms folded across his chest.

"Nunnally!" Nina greets happily, her tone contradicting the timbre she always uses with Lelouch's name. Nunnally smiles as she waves at all of them. Rivalz returns next to Lelouch, and though Rivalz can't be sure, he swears he saw a small, sad smile grace his face. Nunnally faces Lelouch.

"Eat," Nunnally thrusts the tray of food towards Lelouch. Lelouch stares at it. "Hey, it must hurt to starve to death, especially in a coffin, so now you have food. Eat," Nunnally instructs. Lelouch slowly takes the tray.

"Are you going to eat that?" Rivalz inhales deeply the smell of the steak sitting on a plate with the eating utensils next to it. "If you're not, can I have it?"

"Rivalz!" Rivalz groans as sharp pain flares near his shoulder from when Milly smacked him. "Shut up!" Milly fumes. She turns to Lelouch, her scowl and adopted jeering tone disappearing into an animated warble, with a smile adorning her angled face.

"I admire you, Lelouch," Suzaku openly confesses, and they turn to him, confused. Even Lelouch puckers his eyebrows in confusion. "You actually changed your shirt." Suzaku finishes. Lelouch scoffs, rolling his eyes. Rivalz, his attention captured on Lelouch, suddenly frowns. Lelouch's eyes are foggy, as though he's either blind or just not there. The original shine that Rivalz would notice whenever they ditch school to gamble with chess has disappeared.

"Lelouch, open the box!" Rivalz urges.

"Wait, don't!" Nina gasps, and Milly ashen. Rivalz doesn't get it. The thing inside the box is supposed to be good. However, Suzaku torn open the box, and almost immediately, the present leaps out of the box, shredding the wrapping paper around it, and Suzaku yelps as the thing latches onto his shoulder, with the jutted out claws digging into his back.

"Oh crap," Suzaku breathes as Arthur hisses, yowling, and his hackles bristling. Suzaku releases a sharp one-noted cry as Arthur latches one of his paws near his neck, his claws gleaming. Rivalz chuckles, only to feel another sharp pain jolt through his back, and he groans. He swears he's going to end up hunched back by the end of the day. Then, Lelouch, probably sensing danger, shields his face with his arms, even though Rivalz is completely oblivious to why. After all, Arthur is more attached to Suzaku than Lelouch, so Lelouch should be fine. Maybe he's just paranoid. Blood trickles down his wrists when he holds his hands vertical to his face. Then, Arthur leaps off of Suzaku, and onto the tray with the grilled steak. Sauce splatters over Lelouch's crinkled sleeves and across his wrists as well. The brown sauce and oil stains the cuffs of Lelouch's recently changed blue shirt, and now, the shirt is blemished purple from the scarlet blood seeping onto the sapphire shirt. Rivalz, knowing from experience, that on such a thick material, the blood will end up crusty and crimson and disgusting on Lelouch's shirt.

Arthur purrs in pleasure, despite the oil and sauce that mat his ebony fur down. "Good job, Rivalz," Milly snaps. Discoloration is on Milly's white blouse, as a brown stain blemishes the center of her shirt, sizzling into it. "Ugh!" Milly groans. Nina seems to be the only one out of them on the bed to not take part, as she's completely free of stains. Then, the tray slides down Lelouch's lap, and splatters onto the floor, and Arthur screeches and leaps away, dragging his gravy-soaked paws across the carpet. He approaches the upside down tray on top of Lelouch's lunch, and he bats the flimsy tray away, and continues to lick the steak, sinking his tiny fangs into the thick steak.

"Rivalz…" Milly actually sounds slightly upset. Rivalz chuckles awkwardly, and from the glass shards on the floor, underneath Nunnally's wheelchair, he's able to notice his rapidly blooming cheeks as pink tinges his face.

"Sorry Milly," Rivalz murmurs sheepishly, knowing that his hopes with her are within the negative range, if that's even possible.

"It's not me you should be apologizing for!" Milly hisses. Now, Rivalz is sure that he located the source of Milly's embarrassment. He just ruined Lelouch's first lunch in a couple days, stained all three of their shirts and some of the paste speckled Nunnally's instrument, and the carpet will be a frazzle to clean up.

"Sorry Lelouch," Rivalz mumbles.

"Its fine," Lelouch doesn't sound particularly angry or happy. Just flat, like the look in his eyes.

* * *

"Lelouch," Lelouch stops as he's about to exit the room. His friends left hours ago, leaving him in new clothes, with Sayoko rubbing furiously with a bristled brush, trying to scrub the stain out of his ivory carpet. He turns around to face his endearing younger sister. "Why are you bleeding?" Nunnally knots her lips in suspicion. "And why was there glass on the floor?" Yeah. Okay, here it is.

"I don't know." Lelouch answers.

"Lelouch!" Nunnally sighs. "Let me see." Lelouch uncurls his fist, and Nunnally purses her lips.

"You're wounded, let me fix that," Sayoko takes in the ruby droplets of blood and the cuffs of Lelouch's shirt, stiff from the crusting blood. Lelouch immediately retracts his hand.

"I told you, I don't know. He…he wouldn't let me go." Lelouch pants. Anxiety strikes Lelouch. He needs to get out, now. Lelouch dashes towards the door, and runs out of the room, and down the hallway. He groans, rubbing his eyes. His vision is swirling up and down.

 _"_ _You're responsible for their deaths."_ Lelouch whirls around. The Crooked Man stands next to his opened door. _"You're truly an evil person. You shot your own sister and dragged her name through the blood of all the innocent people she unknowingly killed."_ Lelouch staggers away, his tongue frozen to the roof of his mouth, as he's unable to shout anything back. _"And then there's Shirley. You indirectly killed her, you know. Wasn't erasing her father out of her life enough?"_ A scream that Lelouch is unable to swallow tears out of his throat, and his back slams against the wall behind him, and he sinks to his knees. The Crooked Man takes a step forward. _"You know, I'm the only one that can kill you, isn't that what you wanted? I heard you back in that room, I'm your guilt. Your pride, I'm everything that makes you feel horrible about your actions. And I'm the only one who can end your pitiful life right now, so why do you resist?"_ Lelouch blinks. This man…is he here to help him? A blank look crosses his face. Yes, he's scary, with his splintered neck and crooked head, but if he can solve the one thing he wanted, then...

"Lelouch!" The man steps to the side. Nunnally's wheelchair pokes out from inside the room, and she rolls out onto the hallway. "Lelouch, why are you screaming?" Nunnally rolls over. Sayoko appears by her side, her flat, blank passive look still on her face.

"Nothing," Lelouch makes a mental note in the back of his brain, to say goodbye to Nunnally tonight.

"Lelouch you don't scream and just say that everything's fine," Nunnally says. Lelouch claps his darker shade of eyes with Nunnally's.

"Trust me, I'll be fine."

* * *

So. I learned that this whole time, there was such thing as line breaks, and I'm just like, why not have people just skip a line and leave it at that? Is it just me who thinks that? I'm still wondering whether or not to kill of Lelouch. I don't know, I really don't want to, but I do. And I need to get more ice cream as well. Thanks for reading :3

How do I use these line break things? This is so weird!

And the reason why Kallen can see The Crooked Man is because I felt like it and also because I just really wanted to for some reason.

I still do not care.


	3. He found a crooked sixpence

So there's going to be this character, Fluffy, and he is not an OC. He is the Crooked's Man lunch if he ever gets caught in the game. Yeah. I'm also considering if I should keep him alive. I'm pretty sure I want Lelouch alive. Maybe.

So. I'm back. How's life? I applaud anyone who can type on a tablet or phone. Like seriously, tell me all your secrets. I had to pause so many times because I accidentally press tab instead of the caps button. I also forget how to spell 'accidentally' and for twelve minutes I typed 'accidently.' Yep. Thankfully, I had access to a computer after my brother decided to go off and use the restroom. He'll sadly not be able to require his position next to the computer for most likely the next two hours because I'll get distracted by searching watching videos.

Disclaimer, I do not own Code Geass or he characters, and same goes with The Crooked Man. I also do not own the poem typed below called 'There Was a Crooked Man', and the extra lyrics added with the poem was just me being depressing.

You guys said it's now interesting that Kallen caught a glimpse of the Crooked Man. It should be the same for me, because I am making this up as I go. Yeah. I have no idea where this story is going. Oh well. I love how my grandma's old computer is better than the laptop my dad has.

I am going to continue to wonder if I spelled Schneizel's name correctly.

* * *

I just want to say, I got this chapter's idea from a review, and it really inspired me, so thank you, TheBlackWitchesCat!

Another thing...do you think this chapter's too cheesy or weird?

Should I retype this?

* * *

"We're not a charity case." Schneizel proclaims. Nunnally's jaw unhinged in shock, before immediately clamping back together from irritation once those startling words are replaced with Cornelia's next couple sentences.

"Who said we were in the first place?" Cornelia rejoinders. True to her word, Cornelia eventually continued with the conversation from earlier, however, now they included their other siblings and subject, dragging them into this argument. "Ands loud is not a charity case!" Cornelia hisses at Schneizel, who inclines his head in amusement.

"I do not recall you defending Lelouch as you are now when Father sent them away." Schneziel claims

"She had no say in that matter, and anyways, Lelouch was just attached with his dearest Nunnally," Jeremiah claims. Schneizel finds Jeremiah infathomable. Why do they continue to protect Lelouch after commiting all those unforgivable deeds? Especially Cornelia, Lelouch continuously foiled and intervened with her plans, constantly battling with her. He even shot little Euphie. Of course, Schneizel admits that he's quite distant with the periwinkle-haired beauty, but she's still his younger, useless sister.

"Lelouch is a bastard, disowned by Mother and Father, I admire Lelouch, but he is not truly our brother anymore." Schneizel simpers. It's quite simple, in Schneizel's complicated mind. He does admire Lelouch's strategies and boldness, but that doesn't mean he's just going to decrease his expectations from Lelouch just because he's sick; Schneizel expects Lelouch to continue to stay strong-minded. But he didn't. Too bad.

"He's dangerous. We can't keep him." Schneizel agrees with that, and he nods to acknowledge his approval. "I'm just saying this because he might end up hurting himself or others," Ohgi explains his reasoning. "And besides, Ried will want to have the scoop of the year, and if he even hears about the former Zero going losing his sanity after being stuck for three months underground, he'll twist that story in the most interesting way possible." Ohgi warns. Schneizel forgotten about the story-digging news reporter, he never really gave another thought about him.

"You talk about him as though he's a naughty puppy," Nunnally comments scornfully. "Ohgi. I understand your concerns, but there's no better service than here." Schneizel opens his mouth to gladly respond in a sage fashion, however, Nunnally's lavender eyes narrow as he inhales, and she quickly interject his first word. "And not, an insane asylum." Nunnally growls. "C.C., tell me that Lelouch's condition and mental state will turn for the better. Schneizel is unable to understand Nunnally's desperation on denying Lelouch's obvious need for a physcologist and the action of his removal. They can't keep Lelouch here, after all, Schneizel doesn't see any improvements or positive results from Lelouch. Yes, it's not trouble keeping Lelouch here, but he's distracting them from what's actually important.

"The probability of ameliorating Lelouch's mental condition is very high," C.C. responses after gnawing the tip off the greasy, cheese pizza. Nunnally beams at the positive news. Schneizel grimaces. He's quite happy for his brother, he guesses that he underestimated Lelouch in his deranged state, he should've known that Lelouch would insist and fight to get better. He's delighted and irritated from the news that causes the group settled and bunched around the glass table to smile sincerely; Schneizel is just frustrated that he was wrong for once. After all, he does think highly of himself. "Of course," C.C. continues in her pleasant, robotic, indifferent tone. The whoops of joy fades as she extends her previous sentence. "That is because he will die soon. When he deceases, he'll be free from his position." C.C. claims as she grinds a section of her beloved pizza from the slice. Strands from the stringy cheese connects the pizza slice with the portion in her mouth, until she yanks the cheesy ropes apart as she takes another bite.

Silence follows her proclamation. Even Schneizel prevents himself from smugly retaliating towards his distraught sisters. However, one, tiny sound that causes Schneizel's frosty, heart with morals set on pride, to tug and twist. His stomach concocts a nauseating, sick feeling as Nunnally's dry, broken sobs that rack her tiny shoulders shatters the silence. The scrape of C.C.'s chair being shoved back causes all of their eyes to fixate on her. C.C. stands up, and grabs her plushy Cheese-kun, and without another word, she leaves the room, her lime pigmented hair swaying behind her. Schneizel averts his gaze, until they attach onto Nunnally, sitting beside Cornelia in her wheelchair. Cornelia is murmuring hushed words too muffled and quiet for Schneizel to apprehend.

"I'm...going to go check on Lelouch." Ohgi mutters, and his chair groans as he gets up from his seat, and follows the same path C.C. used earlier to exit the room. Pretty soon, the group dispersed, leaving just the three siblings sitting there, one crying, the other trying to sooth the worries of the sobbing one, and the one sitting stiffly in his seat, trying to find a way to win this battle and call 'checkmate' upon his opponent, which is Lelouch's insanity. For once, Schneizel doubts if he has the skills to heal Lelouch back to health. At first, he didn't even consider helping Lelouch, he has the staff to play caretaker. Now, with C.C.'s credible information, he's skeptical on how far his staff's help will go. And now, he doesn't think there's a way to help Lelouch anymore, after listening to C.C.'s claim.

* * *

C.C. nuzzles the head of her squishy, stuffed, orange blob. Lelouch didn't recognize her twenty minutes earlier when she entered his unlocked room. So she didn't acknowledge him in return. Lelouch didn't utter a single sentence, nor emit any sound other than the occasional sigh. So C.C. remained mute throughout the whole twenty minutes. Lelouch didn't turn at the sound of the door opening, possibly Ohgi just checking in judging by the heavy footsteps that nobody but him could make, so C.C. didn't turn around to face the person who closed the door after swinging it open. They just sat there in silence. It's not an awkward silence. After all, C.C. doesn't find anything weird at all. Lelouch continues to stare at the black oval with a metal frame, that C.C. knew was once his mirror. Whatever happened to the glass, she doesn't know. C.C., during the comfortable hushed minutes, notices how Lelouch never showed his Geass once. C.C.'s quite sure that he still has it in his possession, as he's immortal. C.C.'s eyelids flutter close over her narrowed amber retinas, and when they open once more, to her surprise, Lelouch is in a different position. His gaze is directed at the corner. C.C.'s breathing falters as she takes note of what's in the corner that she'd been ignoring its existence for quite some time. Yet, the moment her eyes flicker to him, panic punches in. She wants to run. She wants to leave. Screw Lelouch. C.C. is quite sure that despite his lack of eyes, the man standing upright in the corner is staring at her. She knows that he's been here the whole time. But she can't leave. What'll happen to Lelouch? Yes, she's willing to admit she's fond of Lelouch, he matches her sardonic, uncaring personality, and she can relate to him on many levels. She convinces herself that's why she's so reluctant to give Lelouch up so easily to this man.

"Why do you continue to stare? It's rude you know," C.C finally decides to be the first to speak. She shivers as she senses the attention of the man leaving Lelouch, and focusing on her. She slightly regrets speaking out with her sentence obviously directed at him. Lelouch continues to be lifeless. She's quite aware that suicide possibly could be on his mind. C.C.'s also conscious of the Crooked Man. After all, she encountered him in various times throughout her life. Usually she notices him hanging around Geass users. It's not a surprise, as Geass often causes depression and for the owner's life to go astray, and then the Crooked Man appears, ready to claim the person, to drag him or her down after the person clearly cannot go back. Lelouch fits his criteria, his life is basically screwed, and his relationship with everyone wry, mainly Shirley and Euphemia and multiple people who hold a grudge against him, and throughout his life, his history is basically blood-splattered, even at a young age when Marianne was murdered. He was always surrounded by crooked things. However, C.C. never noticed him hanging around, until after he left his grave, probably also known as his prison. Probably because his mind was in a weakened state. C.C.,is ashamed to know the reason why she's been avoiding the building is because of him. She tried to coax her mind into thinking that the reason why she strayed away from the castle is because she has a feeling that people are not comfortable with the Green Witch just lounging around and rummaging through their food for pizza. Though, that fake, pitiful explanation for her skirting around the entrances of the castle shattered once she saw the Crooked Man, always a step behind Lelouch's shadow.

"You know, it's not nice to torment people," C.C. finally says. She levels her gaze with the Crooked Man's sideways eyeball, as his head is inclined to the right. She wonders if he remembers her. He better if he knows what's good for him. Actually, C.C. reconsiders that. Hopefully he doesn't remember her. No need to reignite his hunger and obsession for her. "You're being very mean to Lelouch, which I do not mind, but are you not going past the line of cruel?" C.C. asks. She does not recall his name. She's pretty sure she never learned his name. She just has recollections of him with Joanne, this man christened David, and countless other victims, though some were lucky to escape. She frowns, she realizes how she hadn't had his presence for a while. He stopped after failing to attack David Hooter...or was it Hollister? C.C.'s eyebrows furrow as she tries to think up the correct last name. Ah, no matter, C.C. gives up on that. She hadn't seen him for possibly decades or maybe a generation or so after she left America where David was. She tried to leave all her memories of her and her personal, invisible monster back in America. They all come flooding back, crashing upon her like a wave the moment she sensed the presence of this monster. She squeezes Cheese-kun even tighter now.

Then, as though to respond to C.C., a low, uncanny, raspy growl that causes C.C.'s shoulders to lock up and her spine to straighten, is sounded from his general direction from the corner of the room. C.C. has to struggle to remain her unfazed, casual, passive tone. "You know, what happened? You disappeared for a while after David. Did he not please your soul?" C.C. questions, tilting her head to express her curiosity. The man doesn't reply this time. C.C. is glad. She doesn't want to hear his low octave, throaty growl another time.

"You can see him?" A hoarse voice whispers. C.C. turns her head, to see Lelouch staring at her with those glassy, dead eyes. C.C. nods in response, but she continues to glance at his unblinking eyes. The dead eyes always come in whenever one finally gives up on life. And that scares C.C. Who else can she argue with that has the same intelligence as her if Lelouch dies? There's Schneizel, but C.C. prefers not to mess with people that she doesn't care about.

"So...he's real." Oh. So now he pays attention. Yes, C.C. is cognizant of Lelouch's terrible mental condition, but she still can't help but feel slightly miffed that he finally acknowledges her after she's been sitting there, crossed leg on the bed next to him, with Cheese-kun in the middle of her lap, after _thirty_ _minutes._ The only reason he's talking to her is because she can see him, and C.C. bristles at that thought. "Is he from your world?" Lelouch questions, staring at the man. C.C. shakes her head. Thankfully he's not.

"I am surprised that you are still alive after being here alone." C.C. expresses nothing through her indifferent tone, but she's quite relieved that Lelouch's body wasn't found mangled and twisted with his neck jerked to the side on the floor. "I did see Tamaki leave your room, though. He seems drunk judging by the way he walked. Also because he passed out two steps away from your door." C.C. adds. She's quite delighted to strike up a conversation with the previously mute Lelouch, as it releases the tension bottled up in her.

"Kallen was with me. Then she left after Tamaki came in, and tried to get me to drink." He points at the nearly-empty tall bottle on his bedside table. "He drank most of it." Lelouch adds. "And then, he left. Two seconds later you came in," Lelouch drones in his toneless voice. After that, they settle back into their silent selves. Honestly, if C.C. was to admit it if not for her pride, she does find the figure of the Crooked Man terrifying. His hollow, darkened out eye sockets, wide grin with rows of yellowed teeth stained with some sort of crimson liquid, and sallow, splotchy face. His bent neck honestly doesn't add to his horrifying factors, he's scary with or without a straight neck. Actually, C.C. has to admire the length of his neck, it's quite long compared to others.

"I have to do something," C.C. proclaims, as she sits up and off the bed, Cheese-kun still in the crook of her bent elbow, cuddling against her chest. "And you are to come with me." she tells Lelouch. Honestly, C.C. just wants to get out of this room. She doesn't want to stay in an enclosed area with this man, knowing she cannot escape if he does happen to want her again. And having Lelouch follow her kind of defeats her whole idea of putting as much distance between her and the Crooked Man, but C.C. knows the moment she leaves Lelouch alone, within a couple seconds his heart will stop and his body will halt its thrashing, leaving him lifeless in his own pool of scarlet blood, with the man towering above him, his already dirtied clothing blotted with fresh, copper blood.

"Lelouch." C.C. calls out in her passive tone. Lelouch apparently has returned to his mute state, as he keeps his eyes on the Crooked Man, and refuses to reply. C.C. faces Lelouch, with her back to the man in the corner of the room. She prefers not to look at him, but she also doesn't like not having her eyes on him at all times, in case if he tries to pull something. Great, she's becoming paranoid. "Lelouch, do you want to hear a story?" C.C. asks. Lelouch makes no response. C.C. sits back down on the bed, clutching her Cheese-Kun.

"You know, there once was a Crooked Man. He used to be my own demon." C.C. quickly looks at the Crooked Man. He better remember her now. He doesn't move. Maybe he got over her. Probably because she stopped wanting to die.

* * *

"Yes, okay." She sets the phone back onto her stand in her office. Now, this patient should be interesting. She scrolls through the document her caller send over. To be hired by Empress Nunnally herself is quite an honor. She'd be able to obtain bragging rights after this. And to study the Demon King himself...

"Mom," a kid toddles in. "Mommy!" the kid hisses. Forsythia sighs, and she turns to her smaller child. "Can we go to the park today?" He asks cheerfully. Forsythia gives him a tired smile, and she ruffles the backwards, snap-back baseball cap, causing it to skew to the right.

"Not today, Fluffy." Forsythia shakes her head. "Today, we're going to go to a castle," She expresses the last word with wonder to excite Fluffy. She can't just leave the kid at home. And besides, Lord Jeremiah gave her permission to bring him, as long as he doesn't cause a ruckus.

"A castle?" Fluffy's sapphire eyes widen. "A real castle?"Fluffy gasps. Forsythia nods, smiling. She leans over on her spinney chair, her platinum blonde ringlets brushing against her knees as she did so.

"Yeah, a castle. Now, get ready, we'll be there for as long as Empress Nunnally wants us to." Forsythia says. "You might want to have something to do," Forsythia advises.

"Why?" Fluffy squeaks, frowning at her sentences.

"Because she's the Empress and she can do whatever she wants," Forsythia explains. She swivels her chair back to face the computer, and begins to print out the document and information of Lelouch vi Britannia that was sent to her.

"So that means she doesn't have to do whatever her Mommy and Daddy wants her to do?" Fluffy questions. Forsythia nods mutely in response, and she hears the shuffling noise from the old printer on a flimsy table next to her actual work desk, and the printer rattles, causing the table to tremble as it spews out the paper. She snatches it up. "Then I want to become an Empress too!" Fluffy gasps.

"Hey!" Forsythia chides. "I'll still make sure you listen to what your Mommy says, and you can't be an Empress. You're a boy. Rather, you'd be an Emperor, okay? The people would be happy for a brave boy who doesn't cry." Forsythia beams at Fluffy, who nods vigorously. She sweeps through the papers scattered on her desk, and underneath a stack of papers clipped together, she grabs her clipboard. She rips off whatever paper was already clipped to it, and replaces it with the information of the once forgotten prince. Finally, she pockets two ballpoint pens, and she finds an empty, new notebook that she could use to store notes, and on it, she prints in her neat handwriting, _Lelouch vi Britannia._

"Okay, Fluffy, get into the car." Forsythia answers. "And yes, you can take the keys with you, but don't drive the car!" She shouts the last part, as her younger son already scurried out of the room. She sighs, yet a smile is still on her face.

As Forsythia opens the driver seat's door, and slides in, dropping her big purse holding her clipboard and other essentials, onto the seat next to hers. Fluffy is already on his booster chair, and he buckled himself in. Forsythia pushes her seat belt downwards, until she hears a click. "Okay, give me the keys," Forsythia orders. A jingling noise can be heard as something shiny flies to the front. Forsythia picks up the ring of keys that landed on the small tray between the front two seats, and shoves the key into its hole. She guns the engine, and begins to drive.

"There was a crooked man," Fluffy sings happily. Forsythia once again, does her signature feeble, tight-lipped smile that expresses her displeasure. Fluffy always loved that one nursery rhyme for reasons she cannot comprehend. She never loved it. She found it sad and creepy. "And he walked a crooked mile," he continues to belt out the poem in a tune as Forsythia speeds down the fast lane. She promised Lord Jeremiah over the phone that she'd be there within ten minutes. "He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile," Fluffy continues. Forsythia's car screeches to a halt as the red light beams above them. She inhales. It's been probably six minutes. There's so much traffic though, clogging up the roads. "He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse, and they all lived together, in a crooked house."

Forsythia's sure that is the end of the song. However, the moment her tires hit the smooth pavement signaling that she's almost there and she could breath normally and not drive like she's an escape car, her son continues to sing, and the words that left his mouth nearly causes her to slam her foot on the breaks. "The crooked man was not happy. To live in such misery. He did not understand why, so he decided to die."

"Honey, what are you singing?" Forsythia asks, her eyes still on the main road, yet her question obviously meant for the person behind her who is kicking the back of her seat. She's able to see the castle in the distance, growing larger, she's almost there.

"Why must he live in a life, where he constantly shed tears, so he stands on the stool, below the place he'll stay for years." Fluffy chirrup. "A knotted rope, attached to the ceiling, thick and strong, around his throat." She flicker her moonstone eyes at the mirror hanging from the ceiling next to her, to see Fluffy happy, and probably oblivious to whatever he's singing.

"No, okay, Fluffy, what are you saying?" Forsythia has to stop herself from releasing a string of swears. "Where did this come from?" She literally shouts in her voice that leaps an octave higher. "Do you even know what you're singing right now?" She asks incredulously.

"I'm singing The Crooked Man!" Fluffy answers cheerfully behind her. She quickly parks her car, and though it's probably wry in its parking spot, she's more worried of whatever her son's babbling about. She thrusts the car door open, and after grabbing her purse and shutting the door shut behind her, she slides open the other car door. Fluffy gazes back at her, a smile on his innocent face. He unbuckles his seatbelt, and hops off the booster seat. She stares at her son.

"Don't ever sing that again." Forsythia tells her song, and his smile fades away, curling into a frown. She slams the door shut. She reaches for her keys in her skirt pockets, only to pull out two pens. She groans. "Great, I locked myself out of my car!" Her concern was on Fluffy, and because of that, she left the keys inside her running car. She'll deal with this later. For now, she has to head into the castle.

* * *

Kallen isn't used to seeing kids running down the hallway. However, when a bustle of red streaks by her, she blinks, as she stares at the midget who seemingly overdosed on coffee, leaps around, adrenaline oozing out of his pores. "Whoa!" Kallen grabs the young ball of energy by the shoulders so he can't scurry off. "Where did you come from?"

"From America!"

Kallen blinks at the squeaky, excited response. What? "No, no, is someone watching over you? A guardian?"

"What's that?"

Kallen stares at the blonde boy with the backwards ball cap. "L-Like, do you have a Mom with you or-"

"Yeah, yeah, I have a mommy!" The boy gasps. "She's with Mr. Lushlush." Kallen takes a moment to digest his words, and a smile breaks across her face at his pronunciation. His articulation is on point, she has to give him that.

"Did you just say Mr. Lushlush?" Kallen coughs. The boy nods. "Do you mean Lelouch?" Kallen asks. The boy nods again furiously. "Okay, why is she with Lelouch?" Kallen asks.

"I don't know. I do not like him." The boy suddenly blurts out. Kallen's smile becomes crestfallen at that. Before she can ask why, he whispers, "He's scary."

"Lelouch? Yeah, he's kind of scary when you first meet him," Kallen wasn't scared actually, when she was first introduced with the willowy male, but rather, she disliked the attitude of arrogance and haughtiness that he had. But Lelouch is clearly different and distraught now, maybe he did something that could've frightened the boy. "But he's fine."

"No, no, not him!" the boy shakes his head impatiently. His smile is gone. "The man." the boy whispers. "With the weird head. He was scary," his voice is now throaty, as though he's about to cry.

"What man?" Kallen asks. Right now, she's sure that Nunnally knows that a boy was brought along. She probably doesn't know that the boy wandered into the ballroom, however. The empty, vase room is where Kallen likes to go whenever Tamaki ends up drunk. Granted, he doesn't end up drunk too often, but the music annoys her. She actually found Ohgi carrying the lifeless body of the comrade back down into the basement. He definitely passed out at one point or another.

"There was this man. He kept on looking at me. But I don't know if he had any eyes." The boy hiccups. Kallen stiffens, recalling yesterday. Most likely imaginary, after all. But...his description...matches with the man Kallen saw yesterday. But Lelouch didn't act as though he noticed his presence. Or did he just not know that she did? Kallen shakes her head. She's overthinking this. "I didn't want to stay with Mr. Lushlush." When the boy says his personal nickname for Lelouch, a smile tugs at his lips.

"Don't worry, Lelouch is a nice boy," Kallen reassures. "Now, what's your name?" Kallen asks the boy.

"Fluffy!" The boy presents. Kallen blinks.

"F-Fluffy?" Kallen stammers, caught off guard. Then again, the boy mispronounced Lelouch's name. Maybe he did the same with his. "Do you mean Freddy?" Kallen asks, certain that Freddy is his name right now.

"No, Fluffy. My mom always said my hair is as fluffy as a towel, so she calls me Fluffy!" The boy chirrups. Kallen nods, when in reality, she's questioning this boy's intelligence. She does not know a single boy who would love to be called that. Then again, this boy seems younger, maybe five at the least. "What's your name?" Fluffy asks happily.

"My name is Kallen," Kallen introduces herself.

"Okay Miss. Kallen," Fluffy grabs onto her wrist. Kallen blanks out at Fluffy's style on calling adults. "Miss. Kallen, do you want to play with me?" Fluffy asks.

"Oh, yeah, uh, sure!" Kallen accepts his offer. "But you can't destroy anything or go into restricted areas." Kallen warns.

"Don't worry!" How can I do not know this restricted you talk about, so I won't be able to go into it!" Fluffy reassures. Uneasiness bubbles in Kallen's stomach at the boy's comment.

* * *

Yay. This one is actually long.

Those extra lyrics I added with the poem are so cheesy. I might get rid of them in fact because they're stupid. But oh well.

So yeah, I decided to include Fluffy into this, just so the Crooked Man can actually do something for once other than randomly scare out C.C. and Kallen. Even dead people need a life. I just realized what I just typed.

I feel like I need to end this quickly, or else this will end up really boring after a while. So there's probably just going to be one or two more chapters.

I don't know how I feel about this chapter. It seems kind of...I don't know. Messed up? What do you guys think? I think it's because of C.C. and the Crooked Man's story. Do you guys think that it's cheesy or just...plain weird that C.C. actually encountered him before? Should I just redo this whole chapter again?


	4. upon a crooked stile

Disclaimer I do not own anything from Code Geass or The Crooked Man.

So, someone asked me why America exists here. I don't know. I guess it slipped out of my mind that America didn't exist anymore. Well it does now!

By the way, in this story, Fluffy is not a ghost or whatever, he's just a regular boy and he never met David, because then it'd be so weird because I have to deal with how old he is by now and yet still make sure it matches with C.C.'s time line.

* * *

C.C. licks the grease from her pizza as she walks down the hallway. Just about everyone knows who she is by now. They did question her existence. Nobody knows where she came from. Not even Jeremiah knows that she's actually what the 'poison gas'. When Nunnally announced that C.C. is allowed to stay here, many people have asked many times where she came from. She always answers vaguely. Then, she pauses in the middle of gnawing the end of her slice. Where is her fuzzy orange blob? She must've abandoned her poor squishy creature in Lelouch's room, she hopes that Cheese-kun does not hold negative feelings against her for forgetting him. She opens the door to Lelouch's room, ready to retrieve her stuffed object.

"Ah?" C.C. lowers her eyes at the woman sitting on the desk, holding a clipboard. "Oh, I'm sorry, but can you leave us in peace? I'm just a therapist," The lady asks politely.

C.C.'s eyes attach themselves to the cheese blob within Lelouch's arms. Aw, how cute. Lelouch flushes, after all, he's caught squishing C.C.'s lovable stuffed creature. He really is cute that way. However, the adorableness of the scene in front of her isn't going to keep her from attempting to kill Lelouch for touching Cheese-kun. "Don't worry, I'm just here to collect an item of mine," C.C. glares at Lelouch. Lelouch tosses Cheese-kun, and it goes flying over the therapist's head, and C.C. easily grabs onto the item, and automatically pulls it to her chest, snuggling it close. Then, as she's about to leave the room, she hesitates. Something's wrong. No, she's wrong, she has to be. She twists her head back. Where is the Crooked Man? He's nowhere hanging around Lelouch. Fear causes C.C. to dig her long nails into Cheese-kun. Where is he? C.C. stalks out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her as her mind quickly spits out every single idea and conclusion she can make from what she just saw.

Her senses heighten. Why would he just suddenly leave Lelouch? The only reason for that is if he found a new target. But Lelouch is broken, most likely willing to give into him, he was so close to getting him. So...why would he just abandon his weaken prey? Oh no. Is he going to go after her? Her hackles rises at that thought. No, she's just being ridiculous. She got over him, a long time ago. Even though he stayed around for so long, he finally left, going after this other man after losing interest in her, and possibly realizing that their lives weren't as close as he thought. She quickly shoves the rest of the pizza into her mouth, grinding the gooey cheese. So that means there's someone else here that he wants.

* * *

"Do you wanna know another story?" Fluffy chirrups happily to his new-found friend. "My mommy isn't my real mommy."

"Oh, so she's like a step-mom?" Miss Kallen concludes. Fluffy nods.

"Yeah, but like, my old mom left me behind." Fluffy explains. Miss. Kallen's eyebrows scrunch together, as her wide smile curls downwards.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Fluffy chooses not to cry right now. Rather, he blinks back the tears on this subject, and continues to have his smile plastered across his face. After all, Mom doesn't like it whenever he cries, she gets mad. Kind of like his current mom right now. "Yeah, she left me in a hospital." Fluffy explains. "I was in this hospital place. It was dark an empty. Mommy went to go get whatever she left behind, she told me to not move, and that she was looking for something. Then I saw the same man."

"Oh, What man?" Miss. Kallen asks, her tone light as though she knows that she's treading on thin ice. Fluffy doesn't like that she thinks that he'll cry at her words. He knows better.

"It's the same man from earlier," Fluffy whispers. "I saw him in the hospital." Fluffy stiffens, and he's unable to continue smiling by this point. "I-I thought maybe that was why he was in the hospital. Because his neck was bent. But the hospital was abandoned and dark, it was nighttime, I don't know why he was here so late. And...when I asked if he saw my mom," Fluffy is reluctant to continue by now. He turns to Miss. Kallen, who is listening attentively. "He said...'Found you'. I locked myself in a bathroom stall," Fluffy's breaths are now coming out uneven and his voice becomes raspy. "He tried to get me!" Fluffy's volume rises to a shout.

Miss. Kallen grabs onto Fluffy's shoulder. "Whoa, don't shout please," Her voice echoes in the empty ballroom.

Fluffy shakes off her hands. "He tried to get in! He started to bang on the door, he wouldn't let me go!" Fluffy hiccups, but he refuses to cry by now. He might've cried then, but not now. "Then, this man walked in. He said he heard me screaming and shouting, and asked me why. I pointed at the monster, but he acted as though he wasn't there! He then sent me to Mister Policeman. Mom didn't come and get me after that."

"A monster? Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" Fluffy sniffs. "I didn't know who he was though. And...there was this rubber, plastic embryo thingy, and he ate it!" Miss. Kallen's face contorts into disgust. "Finally, this woman took me in after a day or two. She became my mommy after that." Fluffy says. "I saw him standing behind Mister. Lushlush."

"Okay, first, just call Mister. 'Lushlush', Mister. Lulu, it just sounds less weird that way," Miss. Kallen demands. Fluffy murmurs an 'okay', but he's unsure what that has anything to do with this. "And...you know, I think you were just imaging things, you said you were in a dark hospital, right?" Fluffy nods. "You probably just imagined it. I get scared of monsters in the dark too," Fluffy scowls. this might've cheered him up long time ago, but he's sure that Miss. Kallen right now is just fibbing to make him feel better. "After all, how can someone eat something rubber?"

"I know it sounds stupid! I know it sounds like I'm lying, but really! There was this monster, I didn't imagine him!" Fluffy hisses. _Don't cry_ , he repeatedly commands himself. He's not going to cry right now. He won't. He shuts his eyes, waiting for a couple seconds before opening them, making sure that the tears have retracted. "You think I'm just a little boy scared of the dark?" If so, she guessed right, but Fluffy doesn't mention that. "I know that he was there! And-" Before he can continue to vent out on Miss. Kallen, the double doors yawns open. A woman clutching an orange thing walks in.

"I thought I heard someone shouting," The girl's dull, feminine voice is surprisingly soothing despite the lack of emotion. She walks closer, and crouches downwards, her bangs flopping as she does so. "Who are you?"

"I'm Fluffy." Surprisingly, the girl doesn't question his name, which is the first. "Who are you?"

Rather than answering his question, the girl turns around. "So, are you the new victim the Crooked Man is after?"

* * *

Kallen watches silently as Fluffy stares at C.C. Then, a smile adorns Fluffy's angled face. "Ah! I know a song called the Crooked Man!" Fluffy cheerfully laughs. "Do you want to hear me sing?"

"No. I want to know your story. About why is the Crooked Man after you." C.C. asks, and Fluffy cringes at her harsh tone. Kallen bites her bottom lip, C.C. could at least try and be nicer. "After all, why would such a monster be after a young boy? How did you ruin your life so quickly?" Honestly, nothing really startles Kallen anymore. After learning about Geass, she's just about willing to believe whatever C.C. says, which often leads up to her taking advantage of Kallen's trust. However, Kallen doesn't understand why now she's talking to Fluffy.

"I saw a monster before!" Fluffy gasps. Kallen frowns. Is his supposed monster real? "He was really scary!"

"Did you happen to have a bad life? Or did something bad happen?" C.C. asks curiously. "Even the smallest thing, because the monster eats off of sorrow, I'm guessing that even if something smaller, like parents dying or something? If that happened, the kid, especially at such a young age, would have more emotions and that'll attract the Crooked Man much easier."

"My mommy left me in a hospital. And then the man tried to get me! His head was all bent! I trusted her, I kept on waiting in the hospital," Kallen flinches Fluffy's eyes water, causing them to shine underneath the light cast down from the chandelier above them. "I stayed there, for so long, waiting for Mommy even though I knew the monster was in there!"

C.C. crouches down, so that her head is slightly lower than Fluffy's. "You still waited, though you have obtained the knowledge that the monster wanted you? Of course that'd make the monster more eager, you put too much faith on your mom, causing your heart to break even harder." C.C. muses.

"Wait are you saying that this monster is real?" Kallen scoffs. Then, she hesitates to continue onto her next sentence. After all, didn't she see something remarkably similar to how Fluffy described his monster earlier. "Actually...there was this thing, I don't know, I couldn't find a logical explanation, so I told myself it didn't happen." Kallen admits.

"Tell me." C.C. commands.

For once, Kallen is eager to follow C.C.'s words, even though she's usually annoyed by C.C.'s demanding orders. "He was behind Lelouch. I was talking to him, and then, I just saw him! His head was all bent, and he had a huge smile." Kallen struggles to define the man. After so much effort of trying to forget him, she's sure that she also tried to blur his face out of his mind, causing Kallen to have a hard time to recall his actual visage.

"That's enough." C.C. mutters. "I get it. After he gets Lelouch, I guess that you're his next victim." C.C. explains, leaving Kallen threatened.

"What'd you mean by that?" Kallen hisses. C.C.'s eyes are still focused on Fluffy, who's failing to discreetly wipe away his tears, but Kallen decides not to mention him crying, she's pretty sure that he wouldn't like that.

"I know a lot about you. You and your brother was close, and then he died. You and your step-mother would always mistreat your real mom," Kallen flinches, and she clenches her fist. How can C.C. talk about this so nonchalantly? This unfeeling asshole! "Then, finally, you decided to fight when it's too late when your biological mother was arrested for overdosing on Refrain."

"Shut up! How do you even know about this?" Kallen hisses.

"What's wrong Miss. Kallen?" Fluffy asks anxiously. Kallen however, focuses her anger and attention on the female alien who doesn't even bother to make eye contact with her. There are times when Kallen and C.C. gets along, usually to insult Lelouch, but other than that, Kallen always feels like she's constantly battling with C.C. And she doesn't even understand why. Maybe it's jealousy, but Kallen opposes that.

"I hear things," C.C. answers simply. "I do not understand why the Crooked Man didn't go after you then. After all, you could've related with him by then. I guess it's because you continued to fight at that time. However, he started to notice you when Lelouch came back, I think. Seeing him must've made you confused. I have a feeling if Lelouch wasn't the center of his attention at that time, he would've went after you. I guess he revealed himself to you just to scare you." C.C. slowly stands up. "I guess that even if Lelouch does die or get over the Crooked Man, which seems quite unrealistic by this time, it doesn't matter. He'll go for you two. Of course, unless, Kallen," C.C. actually addresses the girl while looking her in the eye now. "You're able to fix your life before that happens. Which is doubtful, as Lelouch will most likely end his life before then, and that'll just leave you broken as well."

"I do not understand what you're saying!" Fluffy gripes. "I wanna know what you're saying!" He grumbles.

"Basically you two are also dead if Lelouch decides to kill himself before you guys decease." Kallen stares at her.

"Lelouch is immortal, right? He killed Charles, who also had Geass, making him immortal, right? Am I doing this correctly?" Honestly, Kallen's brain cells were fried days earlier when C.C. explained how and why Lelouch could be immortal.

"Actually-"

"Never mind!" Kallen really doesn't want C.C. to try and explain everything all over again. It's just going to end up with Kallen unsure of whatever the hell she's saying. "I just want to know, how do you even know all of this? How does this make sense? And why didn't you say anything earlier about this, you could've helped Lelouch out that way!"

C.C. does not seem troubled by Kallen's questions, and Kallen is conscious on the accusing tone hidden underneath her shouted issues. "Only people who encountered the Crooked Man or have a life similar to his can see him. I know this because..." for once, C.C.'s words falter, and Kallen inclines her head, narrowing her eyes, waiting for an answer. "There was this time, I was in a really dark place. It got worse when he came around. The Crooked Man is a jealous creature. If he sees another person with a life just as bad as his, and unlike him, they live peacefully, he'll try and drag them down. I sometimes wonder if he's just warning us, telling us not to end our lives."

Again, Kallen is unable to comprehend the girl's unfathomable message. "That makes no sense, he seems really...inconsistent and contradicts himself. So, he wants to drag you down, but also warn you?" Kallen scoffs.

Apparently Fluffy can't understand C.C.'s long proclamation either. Then again, what is he, seven? "What are you saying Misses?" Fluffy asks. C.C. glowers down at him.

"Oh, he's not being offensive, he calls me Miss. Kallen as well." Kallen explains. C.C. then halts her glare at Fluffy, and turns to Kallen, rather. For some reason, when their eyes meet, tension appears, and Kallen feels herself stiffening, her spine rigid.

"Okay." C.C. says. "The thing is, the Crooked Man tries to help. I think that he hung himself, at least performed some sort of suicide, judging by the poem based off of him. But, at the same time, he detests that you live comfortably. That's why he's after Lelouch. He's jealous that Lelouch gets out free of his cage, even though he had a horrible life just like him, Lelouch still gets to live inside a huge mansion, free of any worries. So while trying to kill Lelouch, he also wants to warn him not to suicide, even though I doubt that's possible for him to do so."

"Then we have nothing to fear, I mean, that means Lelouch lives forever, we just wait until the man goes away," Kallen blinks.

"He won't leave unless if here's someone else who has an even worse life with the best luck. Which I bet is no one. He'll leave Lelouch's side though, for moments, but he'll always be back. And the man's stronger than Lelouch. He might be immortal, but with the Crooked Man, there's no one he can't kill either mentally or physically." C.C. exclaims. "The man won't just leave. If he does, he'll just go for an afternoon snack. Possibly Fluffy."

"Wait, so he wants a snack, but he wants me?" Fluffy blinks.

"Yes. You are the snack," C.C. pets the blue hat jammed onto Fluffy's head.

"What?" Fluffy comically waits a minute before blurting that out.

"So...there's no stopping him?" Kallen asks. C.C. shrugs in response.

* * *

Fluffy has no idea what the two girls are bickering over. "Misses," Fluffy tugs the white hem hanging off the thin frame of the older girl with the long, glossy, neatly trimmed hair. "What is your name?" Fluffy echoes his previous questions. Finally, the woman acknowledges him.

"Just call me C.C."

"Okay Miss. C.C.!" Fluffy chirrups. The woman is surprisingly composed. Fluffy just thinks that Miss. C.C. doesn't like smiling. Her eyes, the shade of molten gold, flicker to him, before averting the gaze and returning to Miss. Kallen. Fluffy stares at the plushy cheese-colored item squished in the crook of Miss. Kallen's elbow. Fluffy, sighs, bored of the two arguing females, and skirts around them, ready to leave the ballroom. It's not like he likes dancing. He'd rather sing. The door remains open from when Miss. C.C. entered the room. He's about to slip through the gap between the two doors. Then, he yelps as he slams against something, and he staggers back, his eyes on the floor, trailing up to a dull, scratched heel of an ebony colored shoe.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I-" Fluffy gasps, and he quickly straightens his spine, looking upwards to face whoever he accidentally ran into. His words die, his eyes growing wide. The oily, matted hair that dangles down from the scalp of his upside down head leads up to the crinkled forehead, and large, hollow eye sockets. Underneath his large, hooked nose is a large smile, showing rows of crooked teeth with random splotches of red staining the yellowing teeth.

 _"Found you."_ Fluffy is unable to catch the scream and force it down his throat. Rather, his shouts and cries are thrown at the man, echoing in the vast room. His feet don't move, his knees locking, losing the ability to react to the outstretched, gnarled hands splotchy and yellow, ready to grab him. Then, actually, something clamp onto his shoulders, and upon contact, Fluffy shrieks, desperate to get away.

"Dammit Fluffy, stop fighting!" A familiar, voice in a harsher state causes Fluffy to go still, and allow the pair of hands to jerk him backwards.

* * *

Lelouch continues to listen to Forsythia's patient questions. He's honestly bored. He knows that the Crooked Man won't kill him while other people are in the room. Most likely, he wants them to base his death upon suicide. Which actually is kind of the case of death, actually, if Lelouch decides to stop fighting. "So, anything else you want to tell me?" Forsythia asks, ready to wrap things up.

Lelouch opts to shake his head, rather than to actually verbally response. He chooses not to talk unless if he has to. "Are you sure? I'm going to be here for a while, after all, I locked myself out of my car," Forsythia chuckles awkwardly. Lelouch doesn't respond, leaving the atmosphere even more uncomfortable. "Well, I better find my son before he destroys something while singing aloud and disrupt everyone." Forsythia sighs, gathering her papers along with a small notebook, clipping all of them onto her clipboard. She slips her two pens into her pocket. She sighs. "I really need to find my son. He's learning everyday, things I don't want. He always sings this song, and for a while, it was fine, but then, today, he started singing things that he should've never said."

"What's your son's name?" Lelouch asks, though he's sure to keep his tone dull and flat.

"His real name is Kizami," Forsythia answers. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to real quickly call someone to help get the keys out of my car."

"Oh, just ask Ohgi, you'll usually find him downstairs in the basement, maybe Kallen, they have their experiences with vehicles." Lelouch recommends.

"Thank you, Lelouch." Forsythia smiles, before exiting the room. Lelouch then realizes that he's in his room. Alone. He cranes his head around. The Crooked Man still isn't here, even though he's completely vulnerable in his room. Why? For some reason, even though this creature is the bane of his existence, Lelouch can't help but actually search for him. Lelouch actually questions if it's a smart idea to go looking for the man who's driving him into insanity and causing him to be paranoid.

Then, all thoughts of his own demon vanishes as distant shouting, muffled by the distance, causes Lelouch to spin around on his feet, and run. The voice's volume rises, implying if Lelouch is closer to the mysterious screaming. Oh, okay, there are various and multiple people screaming. He finally stops at in front of the ballroom, where the voice is the loudest. Against his own conscious, he enters the room.

Oh.

 _Oh._

 _"I was hungry."_ The Crooked Man continues to grin happily at Lelouch, a crimson liquid staining his chin, faint like a raspberry stain, however, dark around the edges of his mouth. He was definitely hungry. Lelouch clutches his stomach, fighting to keep his lunch down. His legs begin to tremble, and he collapses onto his knees. Clutched in the grasp of the Crooked Man, is a crying boy, gasping for breath.

"Lelouch!" A very familiar, feminine voice echoes in the large interior of the ballroom, but Lelouch continues to just stare at the boy. The source of the blood is from a large tear in his the boy's neck, the laceration deep enough for the ivory white of the neck bones to peek through the ample amounts of flesh. His very own blood is splattered across underneath his chin, staining his shirt. The boy is crying, sobbing in the sleeve-covered arms of the Crooked Man. No. This boy is done for. There's no way to save him. Lelouch finally reacts as the scarlet liquid gushes upwards, welling from the wound that the monster created as he snaps his teeth shut, digging deeper into the neck of the boy.

"You... _he was just a boy."_ The boy halts his feeble thrashing, his azure eyes glistening from tears that streams down his cheeks, and drips down his jaw. "How could you?" Lelouch wheezes, feeling the mashed potatoes Nunnally forced him to eat gather in his throat, ready for him to upchuck his previous lunch. The Crooked Man doesn't respond. Not even with a growl.

"Lelouch, run!" Lelouch is yanked up to his feet, and he blindly allows the person to drag him out of the room, whimpering as he hears another crunch as the Crooked Man snaps his teeth together with the boy's flesh between them.

* * *

Forsythia scowls. Where did Fluffy run off to? After following Lelouch's suggestion and having Ohgi call someone over to retrieve her keys out from her locked car, she scurries around the whole mansion, looking for Fluffy. Didn't she tell him to not to run away too far? "Kizami!" Forsythia snaps, digging her nails into her palm, creasing her skin by indenting crescent marks from her nails. Forsythia flicks a blonde ringlet dangling in her vision. "Fluffy!"

Forsythia finally comes upon an ajar door. She sighs, unprepared to stumble upon the limp body of her boy, collapsed in his own pool of blood.

* * *

I really have no motivation to finish this story, but I know it'll bother me if I don't. So I will. It's just because I'm running out of ideas. And no, Fluffy!

* * *

The next chapter is going to be the last, probably.


	5. He bought a crooked cat

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or the Crooked Man's characters.

And also, someone asked me why didn't just try and beat the Crooked Man, it's because in the game, technically, he's immortal, because he died a long time ago. And I just had to kill Fluffy. He might've lived in the game, but I'm not as merciful. Sad thing is, I did like Fluffy ;-;

Oh crap. Did I say 'Guilbert' instead of 'Guilford' in this story? I seriously hope not. I am going to look back after I finish this.

* * *

Cornelia's inhale comes out shaky and disheveled, the same manner as her hair after she repeatedly ran her fingers through the strands. How did this happen?

"I want someone fired, now!" Cornelia scowls at the command from her sister Cassius. After all, Cassius would often pick on Lelouch when they were little, always being a bully about how Lelouch really isn't royalty, as his mother is a commoner. However, Cornelia often looked up to Marianne, so when C.C. called Marianne a 'low-life, greedy, unloving pig', Cornelia's ready to slap the girl across the face with her gloved hand. Where did this woman even come from, and how dare she speak of Lady Marianne? This is the friend of Lady Marianne's son, right? Cornelia highly doubts this woman even knows Lady Marianne, anyways, judging by the repulsive and offensive words she speak against the strong, independent former Empress.

"How did this happen?" Schneizel gapes. The therapist continues to wail, her dry sobs racking her thin shoulders. The blood from the various and multiple gashes and wounds from the boy's body is already seeping into the white cloth spread across the corpse. The first thing that alerted them of a dead body was a crying mother, obviously. Honestly, it slightly scared Cornelia from that sudden, unexpected wail.

 _Cornelia thumbed through the files neatly shuffled in her arms. All this paperwork, and so little time to sign all these useless reports. Damn Schneziel, dumping all this onto her, claiming how everyone else is currently unavailable, and for Schneziel to be her superior, Cornelia had roughly accepted after making sure to give him a paper cut with his own reports he's suppose to fill. Cornelia's emotions tell her to differ, that Schneziel is just sour about their little spat in the meeting over whether or not to get rid of Lelouch. Of course Cassius automatically claimed that Lelouch is a danger and had to be put down like a wild wolf. Carine just agreed with Nunnally, she didn't seem to concern over this. Cornelia honestly held no grudge against the animated princess, but in Cornelia's opinion, she's very naive and she's not really on the intelligent side. At least Marrybell was willing to side with Euphemia on giving Lelouch a chance. So was Odysseus, and for once, Cornelia's grateful in his oblivious and kindness, and most likely because of his lack of intelligence, he didn't go with Schneizel's complicated explanation of why Lelouch should be sent away. Guinevere however, clearly has a thing against Lelouch as well, and well, Cornelia is slightly ashamed to admit she's probably the only one Cornelia's unwilling to go against._

 _Schneizel is clearly just miffed over that Cornelia gained more of their siblings approval than he did. Then, a shrill, high-octave pitched caused Cornelia to immediately halt in place, her files tumbling out of her arms as she reach for her sword. However, the cries and sobs of sorrow that follow the startling screech made Cornelia to determine that this is probably just Carine. She followed the source of the nearby sobs, only to walk in on a grieving mother, and a mutilated body of a little boy._

Her siblings obviously interrogated Cornelia for questions, asking if there was anyone else other than the boy and his mother, or very stupid ones like, 'what happened?', when it's clear that Cornelia doesn't have any answer, as she has no more information than they have. "I'm so sorry," Schneizel continues to try and calm the distressed mother. "I assure you that we'll catch your son's killer." Cornelia's mind runs into blanks. The boy's flesh is blemished with random bite marks, that are already bruising on the deceased body, the indentations of the teeth shadowed with black and blue, some still a fading red color, stating the body was living not long ago, probably even mere minutes ago, as there has to be blood for the faint tinge of red around the bite marks. Then, there are strings that peeled off the muscles in the neck, the tissue broken. The killer basically cannibalized the young boy. Chunks of flesh are missing, with the skin surrounding the large wounds flaking. There's a huge rip in the neck, that deepened into a widened crater, where the flesh is scooped out.

Schneizel approaches Cornelia, after leaving the depressed ex-mother. "We have to eliminate the mother," Schneizel murmurs in a low voice.

"What?" Cornelia stammers, snapping her head up furiously at her older brother, meeting his lowered blue eyes. She cannot find a single speck nor reflection of remorse of his words. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Cornelia might be the Warrior Princess, but that's not going to prevent her from killing innocent people. She might've done that before, but that'll remain in the past.

"It's clear that it has to be someone who worked with us that is the executor. Or it's a wild animal. The thing is, if word gets out, then the killer will know if he does work with us."

"That's the worst lie you ever uttered." Cornelia spits her words out harshly.

"We can't ruin our reputation, can we? To have people know we hired cannibals..." Schneizel implores his suggesting conclusion.

"People won't think that! It's obviously a wild animal." Nunnally approaches them, she clearly eavesdropped. The two of them shuffle apart for Nunnally's wheelchair to fit within their little bickering circle.

"No," Cornelia literally has to force those words out, and she watches as Schneizel smirk at her, obviously sensing her botheration. "Then the situation wouldn't make sense. Why would the animal just leave and abandon their food? And the bites are slightly large, and the teeth mark are human. So unless if an ape that likes to eat humans broke into here, I doubt that it's an animal. Besides, they would track blood everywhere, wild animals wouldn't know about covering their tracks, the area is too clean for an animal to do it. Has to be a creature with a high intelligence IQ." Cornelia begins to list the reasons off her fingers, raising a finger whenever she explains her evidence and claims against why a wild animal attacked this young boy.

"Then who did it? We have major security, nobody could've gotten in without someone knowing, and nobody was found near the ballroom," Nunnally mutters. "Who did it then? The list of suspects should narrow down because from what I heard, the person definitely cannibalized the boy, as the hunks of flesh missing from the body isn't found anywhere, so we suspected the man did just eat the pieces." Nunnally points out.

Schneizel's smirk then falters, into a grimace. "What?" Cornelia hisses, her voice low and threatening. "What's on your mind?" Cornelia questions, ready for whatever Schneizel's ready to throw at them.

She wasn't prepared for this, though.

"This is the work of a madman," at those words, Cornelia has a sinking feeling she has an idea of her brother's next words. He couldn't-

"And there's really one person crazy enough to do this."

* * *

Lelouch continues to refuse C.C.'s help. She sighs. If this is what he wants...

* * *

No. He's lying. Cornelia continues to debate against Schneizel's words in her head, refusing to believe so. Lelouch cannot be that out of his mind. Without knocking, she enters his room, ready to confirm his innocence. The scene that greets her causes her words to falter, and she swallows them, and they sear her throat, pushing up tears. Lelouch addresses her, unfurling from his fetal position, obviously he's been cradling himself on his bed once more. Patches on his jeans are a darker shade, like cranberry juice that stained his pants.

"Lelouch," Cornelia enters the room slowly. "A body of a dead boy was found." Cornelia continues. "And we want to know if-"

"I did it." Lelouch mumbles, leaving Cornelia dumbfounded, her faith in Lelouch's sanity and humanity dissipating. "I killed the boy."

"Lelouch, you...are you sure?" Cornelia doesn't know why she's still hoping for another answer. She doesn't know why she's even probing or questioning Lelouch's straightforward answer, after all, the last flame of hope was extinguish by Lelouch's words. Lelouch nods. The blood caked pants, the hems of his jeans stiff from the liquid drying within it are clear evidence that he was near somebody's dead body.

There's nothing else for Cornelia to say. Her little brother's a murderer. All the effort to protect him failed. "Why did you kill him?" Cornelia's broken heart desperately tries to glue itself together as she yells out her cracked words. "Wasn't killing Euphemia enough?" Lelouch, who purposefully averting her gaze, now claps eyes with her, and Cornelia only feels a slight tinge of regret. Why does she even bother protecting him anymore? He's a traitor. He killed so many innocent people. What about _Euphie?_

"I killed him because I was too scared to die." Cornelia's rage lowers to a simmer, trying hard to prevent herself from reaching the boiling point. Let Schneizel throw him away to rot in the cages. See if she cares. "He was hungry, and I was too selfish to allow him to eat me, so he took Fluffy." Okay, the name Fluffy did make Cornelia blinks, her anger that blinded her quickly transforms into confusion. Fluffy? "All of my selfish desires is what led me down this road. How ironic, as allowing him to take my life would also be considered selfish, as I do not deserve death." Cornelia hesitates to continue her rant. Why is he referring to himself in third person? He sounds basically sane right now. Lelouch advances towards her, and Cornelia can feel her hackles rise, and she straightens her spine as he stops in front of her.

"Hey. Cornelia. Thanks for being a good big sister," at those words, Cornelia recoils, her eyes wide at Lelouch's sudden acknowledgement of thanks. Lelouch slowly, by her shoulders, lead her out. Then, he takes a step back, behind the doorframe, waving cheerfully, looking the most happy she seen him in days. Then, the door slams shut so quick, that it nearly smacked Cornelia. _Who closed the door_?

"Lelouch, open the door, I'm not done talking to you!" Cornelia snarls, her voice harsh. No sullen, drawling response from the other side of the door. Cornelia raps her knuckles against the hard wood, and finally, she pounds her whole fist against it, rattling the whole door. _"Lelouch!"_ Cornelia musters her most demanding tone. Most people would probably obey her orders before reaching this point. Her angry glare usually completes this whole set, but by the time her voice runs hoarse from yelling, she's still glowering at a door.

A squeak attracts Cornelia's attention, and she looks to the side, to see Nunnally rolling down the hallway on her thick set of wheels underneath her plastic electronic chair. "What's wrong? I heard you shouting." Nunnally says, her voice thick with sadness. After Schneizel announced how Lelouch is their one and main suspect, she became very upset. "So did Lelouch kill him?" Cornelia just looks down at the little girl, and her eyes widen, her pupils dilating. "No!" Nunnally shouts, her voice infused with disbelief. Cornelia has to do something before tears start to form. Oh, no, too late.

"I don't know yet," Cornelia blurts out. She doesn't need Nunnally to know her brother is batshit crazy and most likely the murder of a young boy. Not to mention he's possibly cannibalistic. Cornelia's stomach twists at that thought, along with her aching heart. "He won't open the door!" Cornelia grumbles.

"Why don't you just open the door?" Cornelia snorts at her little sister's recommendation. Did she think that she didn't try that already?

"I already tried that," Cornelia grumbles dryly, biting her bottom lip, probably scraping off her layer of rich, purple lipstick while at it. To prove her claim, Cornelia grabs onto the doorknob, and begins to jiggle it, when suddenly, the doorknob jerks to the left. "Wha-" Cornelia gasps, only to compose herself, recovering from her shock. "I swear it was locked earlier," Cornelia mutters, dignified, glaring at the silver knob as though it done her wrong. She hears a light chuckle from Nunnally below her, and Cornelia bites her inner cheek to prevent a scowl from surfacing upon her face. She opens the door, and once again, it hits Nunnally's wheelchair, and a sigh emits from both of them. Then, the harsh smell stings the inside of her nostrils, and Cornelia immediately takes in the scene, alerted by the metallic smell. Nausea starts to bubble in her stomach, her eyes wide. Holy-

"Wait, I'm going to move back so that you can open the door all the way, I want to see Lelouch too," Nunnally chirps, her bubbly tone causing Cornelia to focus. She cannot let Nunnally see this.

The unnaturally wide grin that seems too big for Lelouch's angled, sunken in face seems to sneer at Cornelia.

"Uh, Nunnally, why don't I speak with Lelouch for a moment, okay?" Cornelia whispers hoarsely. How is she planning to speak with a dead body? It's only been around five minutes and...

Lelouch's body is splayed out, his blood splattering across his cream-colored carpet. His eyes, glassy and pitless, seem to clap with her gaze, and Cornelia stiffens at the dull orchid orbs that lay in his eye socket, void of any sense. There's no way Lelouch could've done this to himself. No way. His head is facing in her direction, his hair matted down across his face from blood. Yet...his body is jerked in an entirely different direction. He broke his neck. Cornelia cannot find a more gruesome death. However...visibly across his bare arms not covered from his short black sleeves, have multiple bite marks. Across his shoulder, tearing through his thin black t-shirt, is a huge hole, revealing a bone. How horrifying she's still able to see it from this angle, even though the body is technically behind the head itself. A pool of blood inhabits the large gap where a chunk of flesh has disappeared, nowhere to be seen. The pool of blood that gathers there dumps out across the carpet, once again, ruining the pale rug.

"Cornelia? Why aren't you and Lelouch talking?" Nunnally asks.

"I...Nunnally," Cornelia regains her senses, before shutting the doors behind her, yet she can still feel those damn eyes staring at her. "I can assure you, that there's no way that Lelouch is the killer." She almost feels guilty at the look of pleasure that causes Nunnally's visage to beam in delight, unknowing that the evidence for that is her brother's dead body. "And Lelouch even has a big smile!" Cornelia is going to use her sweet time wisely, before the timer ticks down to zero, and she has to bear to sorrow of her lost and the cries of her younger sister. Then...there's going to be the other siblings. She inwardly snarls at the thought of Cassius' reaction. Judging by her sister's attitude and personality towards Lelouch, she'll probably be unsuccessfully fighting off a smile.

* * *

Kallen's heart is still racing. They did end up finding Fluffy's torn body. She sighs, turning to her mirror in the basement, observing her body for any stains of blood she missed, or anything that'd peg her as suspicious. She tucks a strand of her strawberry-pink hair behind her ear, now paranoid that any disheveled part of her will make it seem like she's just been through something intense, even though it's the smallest thing like a crinkle in her shirt. She hopes that C.C. is helping Lelouch out, preventing him from being found out. At least dispose of his jeans at the least.

Then, her hands freeze in midair, as a grinning face appears over her shoulder. Her eyes stay focused on the mirror, blinking rapidly to see if it's just a recollection from the previous events. Oh. Something changed. His gnarled hands poise around her neck.

Her scream could've shattered the mirror in front of her, which would've been quite delightful, as then she wouldn't see the reflection of the leering face.

* * *

Suicide is how they labeled the deceased, former 99th prince, leaving the world, along with his grieving siblings, how the supposedly immortal Demon King died.

And Cornelia, once again, for the second time that day, cannot answer the questions the others bombard her with.

She feels like she's using those three words way too much today.

"I don't know." She answers truthfully.

* * *

I feel like this chapter sucked.

If you have any ideas or suggestions on what I should do, like edit it, please say! Because I am totally stuck on a writer's block. I want Lelouch to live. But at the same time, this seems like the most reasonable ending. I don't know. I guess I wanted to leave this story out on an open end, I don't really like to tie up loose ends, I like people to continue on with this.

If you want, you can continue this story and create your own ending.


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